All's Fair in Love and Fights
by Spectral Duke
Summary: Misaki likes Aichi. Kourin likes Aichi. Aichi would like to make up his mind about who he likes before this entire thing spirals out of control.
1. Chapter 1

"_When a black knight's spear parts the heavens, the legend shall rise again." _

_Spectral Duke proudly presents: __**All's Fair in Love and Fights**_

Chapter 1

Sendou Aichi, a boy of 14, had just finished his classes and was now on his way to spend the rest of the afternoon at his favorite place. Said boy would often head over to the shop Card Capital after school most days to play Vanguard with his friends. However recently he had been wandering over to the shop for more than just that reason. Aichi had more recently been going to see a certain purple haired female that was employed at said shop. He didn't want to say he "loved" Tokura Misaki, far from it. While Aichi did highly admire the intelligent 16 year old girl almost to the same level as Kai, he hadn't seen her as "girlfriend" material. Nor any other girl for that matter. Aichi considered himself too young for such matters as of yet. For right now he would pay more attention to his card games. While paying attention to said girl on the side of course. After running for a bit he arrived outside of Card Capital and smiled. The shop was like a second home to him, a place where he would just be able to escape the troubles of the outside world for a few hours and just enjoy himself. He stepped on the pad allowing the front doors to open as he walked inside. "Afternoon Aichi." Said a voice to his left. He turned to see Misaki, magazine in hand, looking up at him smiling. She had a magnificent smile that he wished he could see more. Misaki was much too serious at times and, while she did lighten up from time to time, Aichi along with the girls' uncle enjoyed seeing the girls smile every once in a while.

"Good afternoon Misaki-san." Said Aichi bowing as he tore himself away from her gaze as he looked over to a voice calling out to him.

"Onii-san!" yelled Kamui over to him as the grade schooler caught the teens glance. "Battle me! I wanna test out my deck and I need a better opponent than Lose-umi over here!"

"IT'S KATSUMI YOU LITTLE RUNT!" shouted Morikawa as usual annoyed by the fact that the grade schooler had beaten his "unbeatable" grade 3 packed deck. "There must be something wrong with my deck! I looked it over this morning in class and it looked perfect!" Kamui just laughed.

"More like there is something wrong with your fighting skills."

"TAKE THAT BACK SHORT STACK!"

"MAKE ME LOSE-UMI!"

"IT'S KATSUMI!"

"OI!" at this all heads turned to Misaki who was now standing up having slammed her magazine face down on the counter. "I'll say it nicely once. Be quiet before I MAKE you be quiet!" Both boys standing at the dueling table nodded franticly.

"Yes ma'am!" they both saluted shuttering. Aside from pretty and intelligent did Aichi mention she could be a bit scary at times? Yeah, he should have mentioned that as well.

"Aichi, can I have a word with you? Where it's quieter?" Misaki said shooting a glance at Kamui and Morikawa who has both sunk so low to the card table they might has well have been lying on it. Aichi just looked over curious.

"Um…ok." Misaki came out from behind the counter as she motioned him to follow her. As he did he gave a side glance back to Kamui. "I'll play you afterwards Kamui-kun." The young boy nodded as Aichi followed Misaki upstairs as the sub manager leapt up on the counter to watch over the store. Once they got upstairs Aichi followed Misaki into her room as she waited for him to get all the way in before she shut the door to drown out the sound from downstairs in the shop. As he walked in Aichi looked around the girls room. He never stepped into a girls room like this aside from his mothers and sisters rooms. Misaki's room didn't look very fancy, he didn't expect it to being above a card game shop but it was nice. White comforter and sheets on her bed with a teddy bear sitting up against the pillows. A side table with a box and key sitting on top of it. Obviously where said girl kept her deck. And finally a picture of a young Misaki along with her parents wearing that same smile that made Aichi's heart get the feeling like it was going to melt. As he heard the sound of the door shut he turned to see said girl walk over to her bed and sit down on it. "So um…w-what was it you wanted to ask me Misaki-san?" he asked nervously. He didn't know if it was being in her room or just being alone with her but Aichi felt so many butterflies in his stomach he was surprised he wasn't levitating off the ground.

"Well this Friday there is a movie coming out that I wanted to go see for quite some time. Shin was supposed to come with me but he has things to do here before the shop tournament on Saturday so he's staying here late after we close. I don't want to go alone so would you want to go with me? If you don't have any plans of course." The blue haired teens heart skipped a beat. Did he want to go? He would have said "duh!" if it was in character for him. This would be his first date with…wait! Did he just think date?! No. No, this wouldn't be a date. Just hanging out with a friend nothing more. Besides he didn't "love" Misaki. He had a slight crush maybe. He did admire her yes but love? No, this wasn't a love thing. This was an "I'm-hanging-out-with-Misaki-and-I'm-excited-about-it-thing" right? Yeah, that sounded about right.

She watched him as he just stood there frozen for a few seconds. Did she perhaps come on too straight forward with it? "_He is only 14._" She thought to herself. "_Maybe a girl has never asked him on a date like this be…wait!_" Did she just call this a date?! This wasn't a date! She just asked him to go because Shin wasn't able. She didn't like Aichi like that. Although she did have to admit he had grown quite a bit over the short amount of time she knew him. It seemed like yesterday the timid blue haired boy walked into the shop for the first time as Toshki Kai taught him the game and now he was part of a National Championship winning team. "_It's amazing how he's matured over this time._" She told herself feeling a warm rush through her heart. Maybe…just maybe she was growing a soft spot for the boy. Not enough to call it anything serious, but a little something. After what seemed like an hour Aichi nodded.

"Alright then Misaki-san. As long as my mom doesn't have anything big for me to do, I'd love to go!" he replied with a smile. Misaki loved that smile. It was that innocent and sweet smile that could make even someone as serious as Kai or AL4's Tetsu smile. It had to be one of if not the best thing about the boy. Even with what she had gone though in her life Misaki knew that, even if it was just for a second, that smile would always be able to cheer her up.

"Alright, just come by tomorrow and let me know so we can set it in stone. The movie starts at 8pm." The boy nodded once more as Misaki stood up and opened the door as she went through followed shortly by the boy. With that Misaki shut her room as they both ventured back downstairs where Kamui was waiting at the dueling table and Morikawa was being comforted by Izaki and Miwa.

"Don't worry. You'll get'em next time." Miwa lied as he patted him on the back. Aichi smiled, getting out his Royal Paladin deck.

"Alright Kamui-kun. Whenever you're ready!" he said placing down his starting vanguard.

"Bring it on Onii-san!" said the 12 year old, as Misaki went back behind the counter petting the sub manager behind the ear as she did, but instead of going back to her magazine she looked over at the beginning card battle.

"_Kick his butt Aichi!_" she thought with a small laugh and smile.

**STAND UP, VANGUARD!**

Both Wingal Brave and Battleraizer were flipped as the game between both Q4 members begun. After it hit around 6 o'clock Aichi knew it was time to head home. If he didn't make it home in time for dinner "she" would give it to him, and by "she" he meant his little sister Emi. His mother wouldn't have minded if he stayed out most of the night. With how he was beforehand the lady was happy Aichi was out enjoying himself with his friends more often. While Emi also liked that Aichi was out and about she was more like the mother in the family. Getting him up in the morning, sometimes making him lunch, checking up on him…sometimes Aichi thought Emi was the one who needed to get out more often. Once he got home and removed his shoes sure enough Emi was in the kitchen waiting for him, a pout on her face. "You're late Aichi!" she said as the boy laughed nervously.

"Sorry Emi. Lost track of time."

"That's what you said last time." The girl sighs. "I swear you would starve if I didn't remind you what time dinner was." Aichi laughed lightly again as his mother smiled.

"It just got done. We're sitting down now." The 3 of them sat down as they thanked for the food and began to eat. "So how was your day Aichi?" she asked making conversation.

"It was good." Said the boy taking another bite. It was no doubt to him Emi cooked most of it. His sister knew how to cook well and she was only getting better. Also due to its healthy nature he knew she had pulled an "Aichi needs to get all of the proper nutrition" line on their mother. It did warm his heart to a point to know that she cared so much. "Oh! Mom, did you have anything planned for me to do this Friday evening?"

"Not as of now, why?" she asked curious as Emi looked up as well.

"Ah well…M-Misaki-san asked me if I wanted to go to a movie that evening with her." At that Emi's face lit up in a smile.

"Aichi! You're going out with Misaki-san?" Aichi blushed. He knew this was coming.

"N-no. It's not like we're dating or anything." At this Emi's frowned. She had hoped Aichi had found a girlfriend. She would have loved to have Misaki as a big sister. "She said the shop manager couldn't go like he was going to so she asked me to." His mother smiled at the nervous looking boy.

"Then ok. I don't think I'll need you that evening." Aichi smiled. He was now officially going to the movies with Misaki.

"Thank you mom!" he said excitedly as Emi smiled once more.

"Misaki-san used that as a cover up. She totally likes you Aichi. Hehehe!" she joked as Aichi tried not to blush and failed.

"I told you Emi, we're just going as friends!" he said trying to cover up his embarrassment as Emi stuck out her tongue still smiling. Ms. Sendou just giggled to herself. Her children were adorable sometimes. Two days later, what seemed like an eternity for Aichi, Friday was upon him. He hadn't been nervous up to this point, unless you count blushing every time he saw Misaki up till today as a moment of nervousness, then in which case he was very nervous. He had never gone on a dat…whoa! He almost thought of it as a date again. "_Remember Aichi, this isn't a date. You're just going to a movie with Misaki-chan and…_" WAIT! He was calling her Misaki-CHAN now?! He was getting carried away. He shook his head at the thought. It was just a movie. Misaki was just a friend. As long as he remembered that it would prevent him from throwing up as soon as he saw the girl. He walked the streetlamp-lit streets to Card Capital to meet her. He had worn his usual clothes (same ones he wore though the regional tournament) seeing as how this was just an outing and not a fancy occasion. Once he got to the card shop he looked inside to see the lights still on even though the sign was turned to show the shop was closed for the evening. Inside was Shin moving tables when he caught sight of Aichi and unlocked the door for him.

"Good evening Aichi." He said as the teen walked in.

"Good evening manager." The boy said bowing as he usually did. "Is Misaki ready? The movie is supposed to begin soon." He said looking at his watch. They still had about 45 minutes but he'd rather be early than late.

"She's almost ready. I just heard her turn off the water so she's probably out of the shower." At that thought Aichi turned a deep red and turned away pretending to look at something so Shin wouldn't see him blush at the thought of his niece getting out of the shower. Luckily Shin followed up with something else. "Aichi-kun, if you wouldn't mind, could you help me move this table? It's a bit heavier than I thought." Aichi turned and nodded glad Shin hadn't noticed the awkward moment. He easily lifted the table together with the shop manager as they moved it to its new destination. "Thank you. The shop has only been closed for an hour and I'm already tired from this preparation." He said laughing as Aichi smiled. The next second both heard a door close from upstairs as they see Misaki walk down.

"Sorry if I kept you waiting long Aichi." Misaki said as she walked downstairs. Aichi didn't really mind. He did want to see the movie, but he would have waited forever if he could. The sight of her made the butterflies in his stomach try to burst out. The girl grabbed her purse off the counter top as she nudged his shoulder. "Ready to go?" All Aichi could do was nod. He was afraid if he opened his mouth 1 of 2 things would come out. Stupid words or vomit. Shin waved to the two of them as they exited the card shop and made their way to the theater.


	2. Chapter 2

"_Let your comrades be your power. Enter the fray! King of knights!"_

_**Chapter 2**_

__The walk to the theater wasn't as awkward as Aichi had expected it to be. The entire way there both of them actually talked to each other. It was expected because they were friends of course, but seeing as how this outing felt so much like the "D" word the 14 year old assumed it would feel weird. They discussed how one another's classes were going and about vanguard as well as other things. He felt comfortable talking to her. He felt comfortable around her. But he wasn't about to tell her that, he didn't think his stomach would let him. After about a 15 minute walk they got to the theater when a sudden thought hit Aichi.

_"Oh no! I forgot to ask mom for ticket money!" _He had asked to go, he had asked for advice on what to wear but he forgot to ask for money so he could actually go in. He slapped his forehead at the thought.

"Everything ok Aichi?" Misaki asked watching the motion. At this Aichi faltered. He probably should have hidden that better.

"Everything is fine Misaki-san! Why would something be wrong?" he said trying not to panic and failing miserably. What was he going to say to her once it was their turn to pay? "_Oh, sorry Misaki-san. I forgot to ask my mom for money so now I can't go in._" Yeah Aichi, that would really win the girl over. Aichi franticly felt around in his pockets hoping he would luck out but found nothing. This was not good. They got up to the ticket window as Misaki looked over the movie times. Aichi began to feel very hot. He was actually sweating this out. What if Misaki was mad at him for this? What if she thought he had done this to get out of going with her?! What if…

"Two please." Aichi looked up dumbstruck as two tickets came from the machine and Misaki handed the man the money. She took both tickets and handed one to Aichi. "Shin usually forgets his wallet so I carry some extra money around with me just in case. Plus I saw you getting nervous. Don't sweat it." Aichi blushed madly at this while at the same time felt incredibly guilty. He knew Misaki had a job but she had paid for both of them, and even though he had never been on one, and even though this wasn't one, he knew the boy should be the one to pay. He shook it off however when his "date" for the evening went inside and he followed her.

"So um…what movie are we seeing anyway?" Aichi asked her trying to make small talk. It was actually a valid question too. She never had mentioned which movie they would be seeing.

At this question Misaki actually paused. She did forget to mention the movie to the boy. What was even worse was she had forgotten to mention what kind of movie it was. She looked over at him as he got out his ticket to check the title. She had walked ahead for a few steps when she finally noticed he had stopped. "What's wrong?" she asked watching his face suddenly turn semi-white.

"Paranormal Scenes 3?!" Wasn't this a horror movie? As in the kind of horror that makes you jump with fear horror?! He wasn't a fan of horror movies. He got scared waiting for test results to come back during school. How was he going to handle a movie like this?!

"Well me and Shin did go and see the other two so we had made plans to see this one before he canceled to set up for the tournament. Did you not want to go see it?" Aichi froze at the question. It was a mixed answer. No, he didn't want to walk into a horror movie and wet himself in fear. This wasn't the kind of thing he could handle. He wouldn't be able to face any of his friends again if Misaki mentioned how scared he had been. But…he looked into Misaki's eyes. She wasn't the kind of person that would do that. Misaki wasn't the kind of girl to laugh at him because of a stupid fear he had, and he was not about to let her down just because he felt a strong urge to just run away and hide under his sheets from the horror he was about to possibly see. Besides he had just saved the world from some crazy psychopath who talked to cards and wanted to rule over the world. What was a movie to him?

"No. I'm fine. It's about to start soon, let's go." He said as he walked to the man who ripped his ticket. Misaki felt a bit bad. It had seemed for a minute that Aichi was too nervous to go into this. If he didn't want to see it she wasn't about to force him into something that may be the reason he wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. But he had said he was fine and actually marched in. With a quick smile she followed. They went down 3 theaters to the right and entered the movie and found seats in the middle. They were surrounded by other people witch made Aichi feel a bit more at ease. At least it wasn't just him and Misaki.

"We have about 5 minutes before the previews start." The girl noted as she shut her phone on silent.

"I know. The countdown itself is just giving me goose bumps." Said a voice from behind them. Recognizing it both teens turned around to see a familiar face behind them.

"Ren?!" The red haired 16 year old just smiled and waved.

"Hey guys! Sup?" he asked in a casual voice. "Didn't know both of you were into horror flicks." For Aichi this was false. He certainly wasn't into horror flicks. But he wasn't about to make Misaki and Ren aware of that. He didn't want to look like a coward.

"Our store manager had to back out in preparations for a shop tournament tomorrow so he backed out and I came with Aichi." At this Aichi just nodded. He wanted to look as brave as possible, which was easy when Ren couldn't see his shaking legs. "What about your girlfriend. Where is she?" Ren cocked his head to the side.

"Girlfriend? You mean Asaka? I tried to ask her but she didn't want to come. She said she had things to do but I think she's lying." A small smile crept across his face. "Between you guys and me, I think she's totally sacred of this."

"_She isn't the only one._" Thought Aichi.

"Oh! It's starting." Smiled Ren as Misaki turned around and sat. Aichi was lucky at this for if he could lean back enough the person in the seat in front of him was able to cover nearly half the screen. As the theater darkened the blue haired teen looked up at Misaki. He wanted nothing more than to grab onto her arm and bury his face in her shoulder to prevent him from seeing any of this but with the fact that she might not like him that way and with Ren sitting right behind them he held back quite well. Thirty minutes into the movie Aichi was faring well. There were a few small jump scares and dead silence moments but he could handle those. Once the movie got an hour in though things started to get intense. He would glance over at Misaki who seemed to be ok and watching intently and knew he had to continue to be brave.

"_I need to be brave._" He would keep telling himself as he continued to watch. As he said it for the 5th time however a lady got pulled out of the room by her feet screaming by an unknown force and the entire theater jumped, Aichi included. However at that scare he felt something grasp his hand. He looked down to the right when he saw Misaki's hand on his. She had grasped both arms of her chair out of fear and didn't realize she was holding Aichi's hand. Her hand felt soft and very warm but it also hurt when he realized how hard she had grasped it. Aichi also felt something hit his head as multiple pieces of popcorn flew down on his head.

"Oops! Sorry Aichi-kun. That one really got the best of me!" apologized Ren though the seat as the teen wiped popcorn off himself.

"It's ok. It really got us too." Aichi stated as he suddenly heard Ren giggle.

"I can tell." He whispered motioning to Aichi's hand. Ren had seen the two holding hands. Aichi blushed a bit and turned towards the girl.

"Um…Misaki-san…: he whispered as the girl turned her head. Aichi nodded down to his hand as Misaki looked down and almost instantly blushed as well as she slowly let go.

"Oh! Sorry." She said trying to avoid his gaze. "I uh…I just got caught off guard is all." She said glaring at Ren who was still giggling. He must have thought this was adorable and hilarious. The rest of the movie ran its course quick enough. Aichi had not been a scared as he was before hand for his mind was on the fact that Misaki had held his hand. Well ok she painfully grasped it out of fear but hey, he would take what he could get. After it finished they both bid Ren goodbye, well Misaki had yelled at him for pronouncing her name Me-ya-za-key before she did and they all went their own ways. On the walk back both teens where very quiet. Aichi wasn't surprised. Misaki had been embarrassed about grabbing onto his hand and he was too nervous to bring up the moment to have anything to say at all. They both kept to themselves until they reached Card Capital. Once there they both saw that all the light where out. Shin had probably gone to bed seeing as how it was past 10. Misaki turned to Aichi as she got out her key to get back in. "I had a really good time tonight. I haven't actually hung out with you or Kamui since the national tournament so it was nice to get out." Aichi was glad to hear her say that. It meant he didn't mess up all that bad.

"I'm happy to hear you did Misaki-san. I had a lot of fun too." That had been a lie if ever he told one. While he had enjoyed the fact he was out with Misaki, he had forgotten ticket money, almost wet himself in fear from a horror movie, embarrassed himself in front of a nationally known card fighter who was now probably telling Kai everything and he blushed so red from holding Misaki's hand you'd think he was running out of air. On top of that the butterflies in his stomach from being with her had to be multiplying since his stomach felt on the urge of bursting. Tonight had been stressful as anything.

But he wasn't about to tell her that of course.

"Glad to hear you had fun." She said as she went to unlock the door. Aichi took this as a sign that the night was over. His heart sank a bit. He didn't want it to be but he knew all good things had to end eventually.

"Alright then Misaki-san. I suppose I'll you tomorrow at the tournament." He stated turning around. This was the truth. He had planned on going tomorrow to play with everyone. Kamui had wanted a rematch after their fight a few days back. All Misaki did was nod as she opened the door. Could it be she was still a bit embarrassed about the whole thing with their hands? He shrugged it off and began to walk away. He just wanted to lay down and wipe this night from his memory. Just then he heard footsteps behind him. Before he could turn around he felt 2 arms wrap around his torso and hug him.

"Thanks for going with me Aichi. I appreciate it." He heard Misaki tell him as she let go and went back inside locking the door after her before giving him a wave goodbye. As the lights went back off in the card shop Aichi just stood there. Did…did Misaki just hug him? She had never done that before had she? He scanned through his memory and didn't recall her doing so. This was a first. Misaki actually displayed an action of affection towards him. He felt himself get slightly warmer as he realized he still had to walk home himself. He did so feeling slightly happier as he did.

Once up in her room Misaki shut the door behind her and leaned against it. "_I can't believe I grabbed his hand like that. I know that scene startled me but I should have paid attention to where his hand was._" The purple hair teen though as she laid down on her bed. Then she had hugged him. She let that run through her mind for a minute. She had never hugged him before. Even when he won the national tournament. It was a hug of appreciation. She had been happy he went with her so afterwards she had showed her gratitude with a hug. It was standard for a person to do such things. "_Does…does this mean I'm beginning to like him?_" the thought ran through her head. Aichi was a friend. A good friend. A really good friend. But was he a boyfriend? No. But then why was she thinking about all of this so much? Why did she care? "_Maybe I do care about him._" She turned over to look at her nightstand. Next to the picture of her and her parents stood a picture of Team Q4. She looked at Aichi who was wearing that innocent smile. "_Maybe just a little._" She pulled her teddy bear close as she lay there picturing the stuffed toy as Aichi in the back of her mind.

Once he had reached home Aichi entered removing his shoes and sneaking upstairs as not to wake up his mother or Emi. He got to his room and quietly shut the door before crashing on his bed. He wasn't tired but a lot was running through his mind. Misaki had held onto his hand out of fear and she had hugged him. Yes they were friends and at times friends do this but what is a 14 year old boy supposed to think when a girl 2 years older than him hugs him? He looked at a picture on his desk of Team Q4. He had never really stopped and looked recently but he did have to admit that Misaki was indeed beautiful. Put that along with being very intelligent and an amazing card fighter and you had everything a guy could want. "_Everything a guy could want huh?_" he thought as he lay there looking up at the ceiling. "_I wish I could be everything Misaki-san wanted._" With that final thought Aichi decided he had had enough to think about for that night and turned off his light. Aichi shut his eyes and fell asleep in his clothes. To him it was the closest thing to having Misaki's arms still wrapped around him.


	3. Chapter 3

"_Mane of courage, roar with pride and let all cower before you're might."_

_**Chapter 3**_

It had been a week since Aichi's outing to the movies with Misaki, but the young teen still couldn't get the entire event out of his head, especially the hug at the end of the evening. Was he really making a big deal out of such a little thing? Ok, so Misaki had never hugged him before. But now she had been doing things that had Aichi believe that there was something more to that hug than just a thank you. One day after classes he had run into her and she had offered to walk home with him before she did herself. This was a bit odd seeing as how their homes were in opposite directions. She had been talking to him much more at Card Capital during her shifts. But what really hit Aichi was the fact that she had called one night to talk to him. Aichi had barely ever gotten call that weren't from members of his own family and now he had a girl calling him just to chat. Yes they were both friends and teammates on Q4 but Aichi now had a feeling that there was just more to this.

"Asura Kaiser! Finish Hold!" at that Aichi looked up as the card on the top of his deck flipped to reveal Little Sage Marron as he took his 6th damage against Kamui. He had forgotten he was in a match just now. "Hey onii-san, are you in there? That was the 3rd time you zoned out on me."

"Plus you zoned out during class." Pointed out Izaki.

"Even more than usual." Added Morikawa who had his finger in his ear looking over Aichi's field. He didn't mean to not be paying attention just the thought of Misaki was giving him blank moments in his mind. He shook his head to straighten out.

"I'm fine guys sorry. I've just had a lot on my mind." He said shuffling his deck once more.

"Having girl troubles are we?" asked Miwa chuckling. Aichi almost dropped his deck at this. He knew Miwa was joking. He had to be unless he was eavesdropping on every conversation him and Misaki had been having. He never was able to tell with when Miwa could be joking or serious. With how often he was with Kai he sometimes found the boy hard to read.

"N-no, it's nothing like that." He said nervously while laughing. Misaki had gone to use the restroom so he felt ok saying that. If she overheard he didn't want to give her the wrong impression. He didn't want to stop talking to her or anything. "Maybe just all I have been doing has been too stressful." Just then he put his deck into his deck box and grabbed his bag.

"Hey, where are you headed onii-san?" asked Kamui looking after him.

"Just a walk." The teen said heading for the door. "Maybe if I clear my head I'll be able to think better." With one more smile and wave he exited the shop. Upon leaving Renji and Eji looked after him.

"Aichi-san seems really distracted." Renji commented with a frown.

"ASRD yo." Said Eji nodding with agreement. However Kamui just took his deck and smiled.

"I wouldn't worry too much you two. Aichi onii-san is good at solving problems. He should be fine." As he began to shuffle his deck for another game Misaki walked back in behind the counter as she looked over at the table.

"Hm? Did Aichi leave already?"

"He had he had some stuff on his mind so he went for a walk. He'll probably be back." Added Miwa who walked over to watch another fight. Misaki just frowned.

"_I hope he's feeling ok._" The purple haired teen thought as the sub manager leapt onto the counter seeking a bit of attention. Aichi walked the streets of the city thoughts still running through his head. Why was he unable to get Misaki out of his mind? Why was he trying to get Misaki out of his mind? He liked her, didn't he? When did he start realizing that he liked her? Why was he thinking about all this? It was just stressing him out even more!

"Aaahhh! I have so much on my mind I can't even think straight!" he half yelled putting his hands on his head. He walked into the strip mall to get some food. He actually had some money on him today. Aichi leaned up against a wall. "_The way I keep thinking about her…is this a sign that I should ask her out?" _The thought pounded at his brain as he reared back his head to look at the ceiling. As he did however he suddenly fell back as the wall almost seemed to just vanish. Aichi rubbed his head as he got up slightly embarrassed by the fall. He turned to make sure he wasn't going crazy hoping to see the wall still there, but sure enough something else caught his eyes. "Card Shop PSY?" he noticed as he walked towards the entrance. He had no attention on coming to the shop but he knew every time he set foot inside said shop something of great importance would happen. That being the only reason he needed he headed for the door and opened it stepping foot inside.

He always did find the look of the shop pretty interesting. Looking around the dark setting with all the lights showing holograms of cards gave Aichi a sense that he was no longer on Earth. He walked slowly down the center of the shop just gazing for a minute when a voice snapped him out of his daze.

"Sendou Aichi?" said a voice from in front of him as he looked down to see a blonde haired 16 year old emerge from the curtain.

"Ah, Kourin-san! I uh…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude or anything!" The girl just looked at the nervous boy.

"You're not really intruding. Sukio and Rekka are actually out at the moment so I'm watching over things here. Is there something you needed?" Aichi thought for a second. He didn't really need anything. He had stumbled upon the shop and aimlessly wandered inside.

"Well ah…I was just walking and I was thinking about something when a wall disappeared and I fell into your hallway so I just uh…I just wandered in." Kourin just shook her head and smirked at him. Even if what he said was the truth he had to have sounded like a total idiot just now. "In that case, I um…I guess I'll just be going then." After embarrassing himself in front of a member of Ultra Rare, he found it best if he'd just leave.

"Actually I was just about to sit down for some lunch. Care to join me Sendou Aichi? I'd be better than paying to eat alone." At this the 14 year old faltered. One, how did she know he was planning to eat at the mall and two, had she just asked him to eat lunch alone with her?! The butterflies in his stomach took flight once more but he knew she had a point. Taking advantage of the girl's hospitality would save him a little money and Aichi, while used to it, was never really fond of eating alone. Simply nodding due to the fact her didn't want to say anything stupid he followed Kourin into the back room. Once there the blonde pointed to a table with a very impressive spread of food laid out neatly. "Help yourself. We got much more than we bargained for so there is plenty." Aichi nodded as he wandered over and made himself a sandwich while taking a few vegetables and some dip. Once all of his food was made he sat down and began to eat. Kourin prepared her food after the boy as she worked her way down the table. Aichi watched her as she did. This seemed…well, a bit weird. He hadn't planned on coming into the store and now he was sitting down to lunch with a member of Ultra Rare. Aichi slightly chuckled at how upset Morikawa would be if he ever found out about this so he decided it would be best to keep this to himself. After about a minute Kourin sat back down and began to eat. Aichi noted however that she sat back down unreasonably close to him. They were so close that their legs almost touched. Aichi was considered moving over to give her more room but he found it rude seeing as how she might think he was trying to get away from her so he stood his ground just continuing to eat. After about 15 minutes Aichi finished up as he put his plate down on the table. Kourin was still eating however as seeing as how she still had a bit of food to go the blue haired teen decided to distract himself. He removed his Royal Paladins from his pocket and began to look through them. As he shuffled through his eyes met with Alfred. At this silence was broken. "Makes me happy to see you get so much use out of that card." Kourin said as Aichi almost jumped. In the silence he had forgotten about her for a moment.

"Ah…y-yeah. It works really well with my deck. I wouldn't have gotten where I am is Sukio-san hadn't given it to me." At these words however Kourin chuckled a bit. "Hm? Did I say something funny?" Aichi asked wondering that in all honesty.

"And Sukio wouldn't have given you that card if I hadn't told her to." At this Aichi froze in mid-shuffle with his deck. Did he hear her right? Kourin had been the one to suggest giving Alfred to Aichi? Why would she do that? What purpose did she have for doing such a thing?

"Um…please don't mind me asking but, why did you tell Sukio to give me that card?" Kourin simply turned her head at the question before taking a sip of her drink.

"Because I knew that card would suit you. It seemed like a nice fit for you." Aichi smiled. It was awesome that Kourin had did that for him even when she didn't have to. He always thought, for how tough she acted sometimes, that the girl had a nice heart.

"T-thank you Kourin-san. This card means more to me than you know." He said with a smile making Kourin smile at this as well.

"_I remember him first coming in here like it was yesterday. It's incredible how much he has grown over such a short amount of time._" the 16 year old thought in her head. Suddenly they heard the bell ring in the front of the store.

"Kourin! We're back!" both of them heard Rekka say as Koruin got up and brushed herself off heading for the front. Aichi took this as a hint that he should probably do the same. When they got up front they saw Rekka and Sukio putting down some bags when the eldest sister caught Aichi's eye.

"Ah. Hello Sendou Aichi. I didn't know you would be dropping by."

"Yeah…sorry, it was kind of an unexpected visit. I should actually be leaving now." At this Kourin semi-frowned. Being behind Aichi the boy didn't see this but unfortunately for her Rekka did.

"Aww, don't be so sad Kourin." Kourin glared at the younger girl but corrected herself when Aichi faced her.

"I'm not upset, I just remembered I left something on in the back." Without another word the teen left for the back. Aichi cocked his head to the side as she did. He doesn't remember there being anything back there electronic except a TV but they had eaten in silence. The boy just shrugged it off and bowed to the two other members of Ultra Rare.

"I should probably be going now. I don't want to be a burden." Sukio smiled as she picked up her bag once more.

"It's never a burden. Feel free to stop by again Sendou Aichi." The boy smiled at her hospitality and passed them both. As he got to the exit however he heard Rekka speak to Sukio.

"He's such a nice boy. No wonder Kourin has a thing for him." Aichi nearly froze on the spot at this. He didn't want to make it seem like he had eavesdropped but he had heard everything. Did Rekka really mean what she had just said? Or was she aware that Aichi was in ear shot and just wanted to mess with him? Rekka was the youngest member of Ultra Rare so it did seem down her ally, but then again Kourin had just told him that it was her idea to give him his King of Knights Alfred and come to think of it, she had also been the one to alert Kai when Aichi had gone drunk with power due to Psyquilia. She did seem to be there every time Aichi needed help and she had also sat pretty close when they ate. Perhaps Rekka had been telling the truth. Perhaps Ultra Rare's own Kourin had a crush on him. Once he got out of the shop and out of the strip mall he took a long way home to clear his head of all his thoughts.

Misaki liked him. Kourin liked him. Is this what it felt like to be a "player" like some of the kids talked about? He was now being pursued by two very lovely and highly skilled vanguard playing females who were both older than him. He pinched himself to make sure this wasn't some crazy dream. After rubbing the mark off of his arm he decided to head back to his house. It was still early but he knew if he headed back to Card Capital it would be awkward to face Misaki having heard from Rekka what he just had. He got back a half hour later and walked into his room after noticing no one else was home. He entered his room and crashed on his bed pulling King of Knights Alfred from his deck as he did. He held the card up to the ceiling and started at it. This had been the card Sukio had given him only after Kourin had told her to do so. Kourin had been the one to always go out of her way or go against what her sisters wished to help Aichi. Kourin liked him and had held it in, quite well he might add, the entire time he was there and he hadn't noticed it. Aichi felt a slight ping of guilt. Maybe he should have stayed a little longer. What would have happened if Sukio and Rekka had taken longer to get back? Would they still be in the back room at this very moment? What would they currently be doing in that back room at this very moment? Aichi blushed at the thought and shook his head roughly to rid himself of it. Was he seriously falling for two girls?! How long before one or the other found out about the others crush? It's not like Kourin and Misaki would never meet again, and didn't girls usually talk about boy when they would chat?

"Aichi! I see your shoes here? Are you home?" He heard the door close downstairs as him mother and Emi both walked in.

"Aichi!" yelled up his little sister. "We have groceries. Can you help us put them away?"

"Yeah! I'll be down in a second Emi." The blue haired boy sat up and placed Alfred back in his deck. He would save this whole issue for later. Without another thought of the two girls Aichi walked out of his room and downstairs to assist his mother and sister.


	4. Chapter 4

A.N.: I'd like to thank Tsukuyomi-chan for informing me of the correct ages for both Kourin and Aichi. However being as far into the story as I am, I just decided to keep the ages as they are as not to confuse anyone by randomly changing them in the middle of everything. Sorry of this bothers anyone but let's all just "picture it." I apologize for the bad Vanguard joke. -_-'

"_Reduce all to ashes, flames of the apocalypse!_"

_**Chapter 4**_

Misaki sat on the bed near her night stand looking at her cell phone. She kept reaching for it and pulling back her hand like it was going to bite her. What we she so scared off? She wanted to call him. She wanted to ask him to go on another outing but something prevented her. Maybe it was what he would say if she did. What if he said no? She wasn't sure if he liked her the same way. After the hug from the movies he didn't really say anything or mention it to her like she thought his curious nature would. Then again he never said anything negative about it. The purple haired teen reached for the phone once more before pulling her hand away and falling back on her bed. "_Misaki, you're a member of a national winning Vanguard team. You've undergone pressure much worse than this. Why is this getting to you?!_" she thought as the sun from her window shined down on her. She had to think of a way to go about this. She had to make it sound like an idea that ran though her head as to make her not seem desperate for a date with said boy. Now the only problem was figuring out how to do just that.

Kourin sat in the back of Card Shop PSY cell phone in hand. Her sisters had gone out once more so she had time to be alone and think. It had been a few days since her lunch with Sendou Aichi and ever since then she had been dying to try to get together with him once again. For some reason however, she felt so small when thinking about the whole thing. She had an infinite amount of fan boys following her every move. She had been asked out on dates before more times than she could count. So why was this boy scaring her so much? She simply sighed as she lay back on the couch. "_I need to call him before Suiko and Rekka come in, but what do I say? I can't sound stupid to him. UGH! Why does something this stupid have to be so complicated?!_" She covered her face with her palms as she deeply inhaled. Why was this so hard? She had to think of something, and fast.

"I got it!" said Misaki sitting up in her bed. She would call up Aichi and ask him to hang out after her shift at Card Capital on Saturday. With no classes and her shift being over at 3 that day, they would have plenty of time to hang out afterwards. It seemed perfect and she thought it would work out easiest for both of them. They would both be there for the card tournament which was usually held on that day allowing her to ask him what he would want to do afterwards. She was sure Shin would allow it if she offered to set up for him the night before. She placed a hand over her chest and took a deep breath. She had to keep cool when she called. She didn't want to look like she was truly desperate when she asked him to hang out and Misaki also didn't want to scare him away by making him think that it was a date, even though she wouldn't mind taking him on just that. She finally picked her cell up off her nightstand. "_Alright, here goes nothing._" She thought as she began to dial Aichi's number.

"Wait! I know what I can do." Kourin said aloud to herself as she sat back up. Card Shop PSY was closed on the weekends so she would ask Aichi to hang out with her on Saturday. Unless Ultra Rare had an event that day it would be perfect. She walked over to the calendar on the wall and looked down it towards the end of the week. She didn't see anything planned for the group and that was a good sign for her. "_Good. I don't see anything for that day. This might just work out after all._" All she had to do was call up Aichi and ask him if he wanted to get together with her and keep calm while doing it. She took a deep breath before breaking out her cellphone once again. "_Alright Kourin. You can do this._" The blonde idol told herself as she began to dial Aichi's number.

Aichi was just sitting as his desk looking over his deck and making adjustments. He had returned from Card Capital a half hour ago and after some close matches during the day he had to make sure his deck was in its best condition for the next day of play. He had all of the cards spread out along his desk as he looked over each one of his comrades carefully. As he glanced over everything however he heard his mother call from downstairs. "Aichi, there is a phone call for you." At this the boy got up from his chair and ran downstairs as to not make his mother or the caller wait much longer.

"Who is it?" he said taking the phone from his mother's grasp once he reached downstairs.

"It's Misaki." Mrs. Sendou answered as she went back to the kitchen. Aichi smiled at this. Even though his mind had been wrapped around the fact that there were two girls who seemed to have a thing for him, he was happy he would get to talk to a friend. Even if it was one he kind of had a thing for.

"Good afternoon Misaki-san." He replied once her held the phone to his ear.

"Hello Aichi. I just called to chat for a minute. You're not busy are you?"

"N-no. Not as of right now." Even though he had been right in the middle of working on his deck he didn't mind talking to her. She could have just dropped by uninvited and it wouldn't have bugged him. "So uh…what did you want to talk about?" he asked unsure of the actual reason she had called. He had never been one for phone conversations, especially with a girl like Misaki talking to him.

"Well I know we have the tournament at Card Capital on Saturday, but afterwards I get off early. By um…by any chance would you…well, would you like to hang out afterwards?" Aichi's heart leapt. He would get to compete in the tournament and hang out with Misaki afterwards. This was nothing more than a win-win situation for the boy. After calming himself down enough to the point where he could talk he spoke.

"That's sounds like a gre…" before he could complete his sentence however a beep could be heard on the phone. "Oh, I'm sorry Misaki-san. I have a call on the other line. I'll talk to you in a minute." He wanted to talk to her some more but he couldn't be rude and just ignore who was on the other line.

"Alright." Replied Misaki as Aichi hit the button to switch lines.

"Hello? This is the Sendou residence." Replied the blue haired boy.

"Hello Sendou Aichi. I was hoping to speak with you." Aichi froze as Kourin's voice hit his ears. Kourin was calling him now?! What could she want with him?

"Ah, h-hello Kourin-san. Can I help you?" He had no idea why she would call him now. Though he was pretty happy she had.

"I was actually wondering if you had anything planned for this weekend, say Saturday?" As far as he knew Aichi didn't have anything planned as of yet except the tournament.

"N-no, not that I know of."

"Then I would like to ask you if perhaps you would like to get together and spend some time with me. Would that be ok?" Aichi was ecstatic about this. He would love to go out with Kourin and hang. He took the phone away from his ear for a second to take it in. He had been thinking about her the past couple days so he was pretty happy she had invited him like this. He went to talk some more until he realized a flashing red light on his phone.

"_AH! Misaki-san is still on the other line._" He thought as he almost dropped the phone in surprise. "Um…Kourin-san, excuse me for one second. I have a call on the other line." Without waiting for another word he hit the button once more as the line switched. "Misaki-san, I'm sorry it took so long."

"It's ok, I understand. So how did Saturday sound?" Wait…she said Saturday. Kourin had also said Saturday! Who did he go with? He liked both. He wanted to make both happy! How could he make both happy if both wanted to go with him on the same day?!

"Uh…Saturday? Hm…I uh…I'm not sure about Saturday. I may need to help my mother on Saturday after the tournament." At the moment he realized he was making Kourin wait. Why did he not just say that he would call her back?

"Oh. Well I suppose at the tournament you could let me know." Aichi's heart sank a bit seeing as how she sounded a bit disappointed.

"I'm r-really sorry Misaki-san but I'll let you know. Bye!" with that he hung up and switched over to Kourin once again.

"Why did you switch so quick on me Aichi?" she asked confused. Aichi felt another ping of guilt as he realized he had been so rude.

"I'm…I'm really sorry Kourin-san. It had been an emergency."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize this. Is everything ok? Did you want to talk about it?" he did want to talk to her. He did want to say something but his brain was racing from all that was going on and he needed some time to think.

"Yes! Yes everything is fine! I apologize but I need to go take care of something. I'll talk to you later Kourin-san. Bye!" with that Aichi hung up and dropped the phone on the rug as if it had come to life. What was going on?! Both girls wanted to hang out with him on the same day and he liked both of them to a similar point. He had to figure out what to do. He had to talk with someone. With that Aichi put on his jacket and shoes.

"Aichi? Where are you going? Dinner is almost ready." Said Emi as she walked from the living room to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry Emi, but there is somewhere I need to go. I'll be back as soon as I can." At this Emi puffed her cheeks making a pouty face.

"You can't miss dinner Aichi. You need to eat something."

"I'll eat later Emi. There is something I NEED to do!" before his sister could reply he ran out the door almost slamming it behind him as his sister just stared confused after him.

Back in her room Misaki felt a bit upset. She had tried to ask Aichi to hang but it sounded like he didn't want to. His pace of talking had picked up and he sounded oddly nervous about something. Was he trying to avoid her? She didn't think he would do that. They got together fairly well and she didn't believe that she had done anything to make him mad at her. She sat back down on her bed to think everything over. "_What was making act like that? Was her nervous because he thought I was rushing into a date? Perhaps I was too direct and…no. I didn't say anything about this being a date and we've hung out like this before. Why did he seem so unsure of himself?_" she sighed and hugged her white teddy bear close to her. She just wanted to ask him out. She had been wanting to for quite some time. She just didn't want to have her heart broken. Misaki feared that most of all. The purple haired girl didn't want to lose her friend or the feelings she had for him.

Kourin hung up her phone and lay back on the couch. Did she say something wrong? Did she intimidate Aichi upon asking him to get together on Saturday? Maybe she should have used "hang out" that did sound a bit more subtle. Maybe that was why he sounded so nervous. "_I really need to stop being so direct with that boy._" She thought as she lay there. "_He is young so maybe the thought of an older female asking him out scared him. Plus I am a member of Ultra Rare. Is hanging out with a star really that scary?_" Just then the front of the store rang as Kourin walked out to meet up with her two sisters.

"Hey Kourin. We're home!" smiled Rekka as they walked in. The blonde smiled at them both.

"So how was your outing?"

"It went fairly well. We wished you could have joined us." Said Suiko.

"Why do you never come? Are you spending alone time with that blue haired boy?" Kourin blushed a deep shade of red.

"You know it's nothing like that! I admire Sendou Aichi, I'm not hot for him!" she said defensively as Suiko just smiled.

"Sendou Aichi is quite a fascinating boy. I'm not surprised you've taken a liking to him. Have you met his parents yet?" at this Kourin just sighed. It was obvious they weren't listening.

Aichi walked along the now lit streets alone. He knew if he wanted to figure out what to do in this situation he would need to seek some advice. It being around 7 in the evening Aichi knew the one he sought wouldn't be in his usual spot. "_I think I know somewhere else he might be._" A few minutes later he arrived at the AL4 headquarters. Seeing the lights on in the lobby was a good sign. He knew someone would still be there. He ran up to the doors and walked into the main lobby. Almost instantly upon entering he spotted a familiar face. "T-Tetsu-san!" The large man spun around being almost at the elevator.

"Hm? Sendou Aichi? What are you doing here at such an hour?" Aichi quickly ran up to him. Standing next to the man Aichi suddenly realized how tall Tetsu was. He looked up into the man's eyes with a determined face.

"Tetsu-san please. I'm not sure if he's here but I need to speak with Kai-kun!"


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Hey guys. I know it's been a while but my life has been kind of hectic. Between the holidays, my job, my family and fiance and a lot of other things I just haven't had time to write. But now that I have a moment and some spare time on my hands I'll try to update a bit quicker and finish this story up soon. I thank all of you who stayed with me this far and I hope you all enjoy.

_**Charge to the field and blow through to the end. Avalanche Crush Rush!**_

Chapter 5

"Dragonic Overlord (11000) boosted by Bahr (8000), attack!" The grade 3 Kagero reared its head back and fired the flames at Ren's vanguard.

"Grim Reaper guard and I'll use Blaster Dark to intercept." Ren's Shadow Paladins guarded Phantom Blaster Dragon but Kai reached for his first check.

"Drive Trigger, first check." He flipped the first card to reveal Dragon Dancer Monica. "Draw trigger. I'll give the effects to Overlord and I draw. Second check." He reached for the card and drew Blue Ray Dracokid. "Get critical trigger! I give all of its effects to Overload." Kai's dragon roared at its power hit 29000. Ren just smiled as he saw.

"_Of course._" He laughed to himself. Ren had a feeling this would happen. The flame overtook his two shields as it hit his dragon. After the damage check revealed Dark Star Trumpeter Ren laid down his 6th damage. "Looks like you win again Kai. Can't really say I'm surprised."

"One more time." Kai simply stated. His thirst for dueling and perfecting his deck and abilities never did simmer down, and while Ren did admire that about him 5 beatings was enough for one day.

"No way. You did a number on my already and I'm wiped. Ask Tetsu if he wants to go a round with you. I really need a break." As he said so however Tetsu walked in as the electronic doors opened.

"There is no time unfortunately. You have a visitor Kai." Then from behind him walked the 14 year old blue haired teen. Kai looked slightly surprised to see the young boy here.

"Aichi?"

"Oh, hey there Aichi-kun. What's going good?" Ren smiled with a wave. Aichi quickly looked over and nodded but then turned to Kai almost urgently.

"Kai-kun, I need to speak with you. Please." He bowed to Kai in his usual manner but the 16 year old sensed there was something wrong. Aichi wouldn't seek him out just to chat.

"What's wrong Aichi? Why did you come here at this hour?" It was late. Aichi would usually be home eating dinner but he had run here to seek him. What was so urgent that he needed to speak with him about?

"Is everything ok?" asked Asaka as she looked over Ren's shoulder at the boy. Just then Aichi blushed.

"Um…Kai-kun, if it's ok I would like to speak to you in private." With these words everyone looked at the young boy. Kai was now a bit more surprised. Aichi wanted to talk with him in private. Now this was officially a concern for him. As shy as he often was Aichi had actually asked to speak to him in private. This was not a good sign but Kai knew the young boy was desperate so he simply nodded as he walked over to the two.

"I'll be back. Come on Aichi. I know where we can speak."

"Thank you Kai-kun." As the electronic doors opened once more both of them walked out. After a walk downstairs they went into the cafeteria and both sat down at a table across from each other. As Kai glanced over at his friend across from him and saw the confused and nervous look on the boy's face.

"What's wrong Aichi? You look lost." Aichi played with his hands a bit before speaking. He looked totally lost to Kai and while Kai did think of Aichi as an intelligent kid he knew there was something seriously bothering him.

"I-I really am Kai-kun. I didn't know where else to turn. I just feel so confused and I have no idea who to choose!" "Who" to choose? What did he mean by that? Was Aichi coming to him for deck advice? If that was the case however he wouldn't be this nervous about asking Kai.

"Slow down Aichi. What do you mean by "who to choose"?" This was a legit question. Kai wasn't often caught off guard by a question unless it was a stupid one asked by either Ren or Miwa. Aichi gulped before continuing.

"Well you see, a while back Misaki-san asked me to go to a movie with her and…" the rest of it just seemed to trail off into Kai's mind. Was…was Aichi asking him for dating advice?! This couldn't be real. Aichi couldn't be serious about this. Kai knew Aichi looked up to him but wasn't this a little much? There were other people he could have talked to about this but he had come to him in a time of great need. Kai knew however that he had to help him. Aichi had been there to support him when he needed it and he knew, as a friend, he would need to do the same for him. "…and she said she wanted it to be for Saturday, but Kourin-san also said…" after letting it trail off again Kai's eyes widened slightly. Did Aichi just say Kourin? As in Ultra Rare's Kourin?! Was Aichi having problems with not just one girl but two?! Kai wasn't sure about giving him dating advice for one girl let alone two, and how in the world was Aichi getting 2 girls?! He knew Aichi was kind and sweet and all that adorable crap but the fact that they liked him was crazy enough for Kai. Why did he and Miwa never get anything like this? "…and that's the problem. What am I supposed to do Kai-kun?" Aichi buried his head in his hands. "I'm so lost and I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. I don't want to lose anyone as a friend." Kai could tell Aichi was in quite a pickle and he knew dating advice wasn't his strong point. However Kai did know one thing that could figure this whole situation out.

"Come." Upon those word Aichi looked up at Kai who was now holding his deck in his hands. "I will cure you of your indecisiveness Sendou Aichi." A few minutes later Aichi found himself across from Kai at a dueling table.

"We're going to duel Kai-kun?"

"If your mind cannot make the decision for you let this battle be the deciding factor." Aichi wasn't so sure about this. Yeah he liked playing vanguard and yes he loved playing with Kai most of all but was this really the way to settle his dating situation? Though he did admit that Kai had a point. His mind was overwhelmed with what had been going on in his life so maybe a duel would put everything at ease and allow him to think this over. They both placed down their starting vanguards as the placed their decks down next. Asaka and Tetsu stood off to the side to watch the soon to begin battle.

_**Stand Up, Vanguard!  
Stand Up, the Vanguard!**_

Both Lizard Solider Conroe and Wingal Brave appeared on the field facing each other as Kai drew his first card.

Ever since the conclusion of his first game of vanguard he had been wanting to play Kai to show him how much he had grown. To show Kai he could hold his own and that he was strong. For some reason however something felt off. Aichi wasn't entirely focused on the duel and he knew the reason almost instantly as thoughts of Misaki and Kourin ran through his head. The fact that he felt so strongly about both girls was beginning to get to him. He knew he couldn't have both and he knew that he would eventually have to decide who he would chose, but the thought of hurting one of them emotionally would be too much for him. How would he be able to do something like that to two people he cared so much for?

As the duel progressed Kai almost never took his eyes of the blue haired teen. He saw trouble and distress in his eyes and he hated seeing that there was something wrong with him. He knew Aichi did have a serious problem on his hands in trying to choose between two girls. He used to be team members with him and Tokura Misaki and he knew said girl did show a large amount of concern for the younger boy. Although he also knew that Kourin from Ultra Rare did the same. She had been the one to alert him when Aichi had been acting strange so it was no surprise to Kai that this was really taking its toll on Aichi. "_I have never seen him this distracted before._" He noted to himself as the duel progressed further.

Aichi had never been so distracted before. He had been taken over by an evil force that allowed him to speak with his cards and almost had fully taken him over, but to him it wasn't as bad as now. At least he knew what he had to do in the other situation, now he was just all out confused. He didn't feel like dueling, he just wanted some direction to move in he just wanted some guidance. When he drew and looked at his next card however he did find the one person he knew would always be there for him. "Stand up, my avatar! Ride, Blaster Blade!" As Marron was overtaken by light and formed into Blaster Blade Aichi wanted nothing more to speak to his avatar for advice. He would speak to anyone at this point as long as they could offer help. But seeing his knight just stare forward at the creature across from him he knew it wasn't about to happen. Just trying to get back into focus Aichi knew that Kai was had something up his sleeve and decided to let it play out as it was going.

Meanwhile off to the side Ren was watching this in great interest as he did most duels since he returned to normal. "I be that would be really cool to do." Both his teammates looked over at him.

"Do what?" asked Tetsu curious to his friend's sudden fascination.

"I wanna summon Blaster Blade like that someday. Royal Paladins looks like such a fun deck to use." Asaka just stared at him for a moment before speaking.

"But Ren-sama, I thought you enjoyed using Shadow Paladins."

"Of course I do." Said Ren taking out his deck and smiling. "This clan defines me, but there are so many other decks out there. I wanna try and use them all someday." The next moment he put a finger to his chin. "Maybe I should call up Kyou and see if he'll let me use Spike Brothers. Hopefully he hasn't taken his dismissal too hard." At that Tetsu and Asaka sweat dropped. Ren was less aware then they could possibly let him know he was.

The duel continued until Blaster Blade was being started down by Kai's Vortex Dragon. Aichi knew if he didn't act soon this game would be over before he knew it. He was already at four damage and he hadn't even hit his grade 3 yet. But that was all about to change as he grabbed hold of his Solitary Knight, Gancelot. This card had a special place in Aichi's heart because it had been the first grade 3 he had ever pulled from a pack. Kai ended his turn and the blue haired boy drew. As he did however he was met with another dilemma as he saw his next card. "_A-Alfred?!" _There it sat in his hand. The King of Knights that Kourin had given to him. He looked between the two grade 3's as his head pounded. He had gotten Gancelot at Card Capital which reminded him of Misaki and he was given Alfred by Kourin. Both of the card practically represented a girl he wanted to date but how could he pick? Who would he pick? Why couldn't his mind just be made up for him?!

Suddenly, it was.

There was a blinding flash of light before Aichi opened his eyes and noticed the familiar landscape of Cray surrounding him. He looked forward as his eyes widened as he saw Kai no more than a few yards away from his and Gancelot standing tall over him as he swung his sword down. There was a cry of pain from Kai, another blinding flash of light and Aichi was standing back at the dueling table as Kai looked on awaiting his opponent's next move. His Psyquillia had just spoken to him and showed him if he wanted victory Gancelot was the correct choice. He took the card from his hand and was about to lay it down when he suddenly remembered. This power had gotten to him once before. This power had blinded him to his own abilities and had blinded him to what is truly important. Kourin had been the one to save him from this horrible fate. She had cared enough to awaken him from that dark sleep and stopped at nothing till he was back to normal. Kourin…had been the one to truly care about him, and he wasn't about to let all of that go to waste.

"Let your comrades be your power. Enter the fray king of knights! Ride, Alfred!" With a pillar of light Blaster Blade was overtaken as Alfred hit the field. He wasn't going to let Psyquillia take control of him. He knew he had to make his own decisions. He knew he had to stop being so indecisive and most importantly he knew he could make the right decision. "Since I have all of my rear guard circles filled, Alfred gets 10000 power! (20000) Now Alfred, attack Vortex Dragon!" As the Knight galloped towards Kai and his monster for the first time in weeks Aichi felt clear headed. Kourin was the one who had done all she could to make sure he was ok and safe. She had gone out of her way all this time to do so much for him. Misaki was a good friend as she meant a lot to him but he now knew his choice. Aichi did his drive check revealing a critical trigger and hitting Kai for 2 more damage putting him at 5. Unfortunately however his other 2 attacks where blocked and after a call of "Final Turn" Aichi knew he was in trouble. Kai rode Dragonic Overload and used it to claim victory in their duel but Aichi didn't mind. Even after the loss he felt happy that his mind was finally made up. After cleaning up his deck the group walked over to him.

"Nice duel Aichi-kun. Question, you mind if I try out your Royal Paladin's one day? They looked really fun!" Ren smiled as Asaka just smiled over his shoulder.

"Please let him breathe Ren-sama. He did just finish his duel." Ren simply nodded and did so as Kai made his way over.

"Did that clear things up for you Aichi?" The blue haired teen nodded. While he did find Kai's way of figuring out things a bit primitive, he was happy that he not only got to face off with Kai but that this helped him straighten everything out.

"I did Kai-kun. Thank you. My head feels much clearer than it was." Just then he noticed the clock on the wall. It was getting near 9 and he knew if he didn't hurry home Emi would let him hear he. He never did eat dinner. "Oh no, it's late!" he bowed to AL4 and apologized for just running out but Kai nodded knowing he had to get home and Ren just smiled as waved as he ran out of the building and back home as fast as he could get there. On the way back more thoughts filled his head but this time there was only one thing on his mind. Kourin. He used to be so blind to everything she had done and gone out of her way to do. She was also beautiful and seemed like a very caring person when she wasn't being so serious. It also kind of excited Aichi that his first potential girlfriend would be a superstar from Ultra Rare. Though he hoped her fame wouldn't make everything public. He would hate having to explain everything to Morikawa if he found Aichi dating his celebrity crush.

Once he got home he headed upstairs after removing his shoes and saying hello to his mother. Emi had gone to be already so Aichi wouldn't have to worry about facing her wrath until tomorrow at least. Once in his room he looked around and noticed the phone on his nightstand. He went through the memory banks on it hoping it was still there. His heart leapt when he saw the number for PSY listed on the phone. He hit call as he let the phone ring for a minute. He hoped it wasn't too late to be calling.

"Good evening. Card Shop PSY, Rekka speaking." Not the one Aichi hoped for but he had to start somewhere.

"Uh…g-good evening Rekka-chan. This is Sendou Aichi, is Kourin-san available?" To his horror he heard Rekka giggle. He knew she was going to bug Kourin for this but he would worry about that later.

"Hold on one minute please." He was put on hold for a minute until the line was picked up once more and Kourin's voice met his ears.

"Hello?"

"Kourin-san, I'm sorry if it is too late to be calling but I just wanted to tell you…I would love to hang out with you Saturday." Meanwhile over at Card Capital Misaki was assisting Shin with moving in new stock.

"We only have a few more boxes to move Misaki then we should be finished for the evening." The girl just nodded. While she was focused on the task at hand he mind was on something completely different. Aichi had been running through her mind most of the day and the only thing she wanted was to see him. She wanted nothing more than to hang out with him on Saturday and she also wanted to tell him how she really felt. Then in the next second it was decided. She had to do it Saturday. She had to tell him how she really felt. "_I'll do it then. Saturday after the tournament. I'll ask out Aichi!_"


	6. Chapter 6

"_This is no longer a fight. This is war. Turn the tides of battle, and lead me to victory!"_

Chapter 6

For the first time this week Aichi woke up from a trouble free night. The past few had been restless due to the constant bickering within himself to who he had feelings for. While he did admire both girls greatly it had come down to the choice of Kourin. Said idol had been looking out for him in his greatest times of need and even though he felt stupid for not seeing it sooner, he now saw and appreciated what she had done. He wanted to show her how grateful he was and the only way he would be able to do that was accepting her invitation to get together with he later that day. Aichi also assumed that if it went well it would end up in a relationship with said girl and this made him blush apple red at the mere thought. After breakfast he walked outside with Emi, who was entering the junior's tournament, and the two made their way to Card Capital. "Aichi! You never told me where you disappeared to a few nights ago like you promised you would." scolded Emi as she made a pouty face at him. The teen knew this was coming. All Aichi could do was weekly smile as he scratched the back of his head.

"I'm sorry Emi but I had to discuss something really important with Kai-kun. I didn't mean to worry you or mom." His younger sister just sighed.

"You don't need to hide things Aichi. I have a right to know too." Aichi smiled as they continued to walk. He knew she was only watching out for him. That made 3 girls that did now. Once at the shop they walked in as Misaki looked over seeing the door open.

"Morning Aichi, Emi." She said as she pushed the sign-up sheet towards them. "Just sign in the correct columns and we'll have the pairings up soon." The siblings nodded and signed in. Misaki was about to open her mouth to speak to Aichi when a call to the two stopped her.

"Onii-san! Emi-san! About time you two made it!" Kamui Renji and Eji walked over towards them. "It's almost starting I thought you two wouldn't make it."

"We still have 15 minutes Kamui-kun." stated Aichi but he knew the real reason Kamui had been thankful is because he was waiting on Emi to show up. As more people came up to the desk Misaki got a bit upset due to the fact that Aichi had slipped away but the tournament was still young. She had plenty of time to ask him later, as she continued to get people signed in. Elsewhere Morikawa had been filing through his deck to make sure everything was prepared for his, "Victorious Day of Victory" as he called it.

"You don't get out much do you?" asked Miwa as he watched the teen ready himself.

"A true master duelist like me doesn't have time to "get out" when he has to dedicate all his focus to his deck for a day of victory! No one here has a chance with how well I've prepared! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Miwa just sweat dropped as he tried to distance himself from Morikawa fearing he would catch whatever form of stupid the grade 3 lover had. A few minutes later all of the pairings were up as Aichi and the others looked over at the lists. Misaki sat at the counter looking at the crowd and more importantly over at Aichi.

"_It stinks I can't compete this time, but maybe if Aichi gets eliminated and stays around I can talk with him." _She felt a little bad that she was actually hoping he would lose early on but if he didn't the purple haired girl know it would be near impossible to get near him. After they paired up and went over to their tables Aichi broke out his Royal Paladins and faced off against his opponent as thoughts of later on that day ran through his head once more. It felt like a marathon was running over top of his brain. He had Kourin in his head and he couldn't get her out of it, but then again he didn't really want to. She was very pretty and half the time those green eyes of her made his spine shiver. Aichi had never felt this way about a girl before and he knew now that this feeling was more than just a crush. He now thought this thing he had for Kourin was the "L" word. Though he didn't want to say it just yet. "Stand up, Vanguard!" Aichi flipped Wingal Brave over as his first round match began.

Misaki was constantly thinking things over in her head. How was she going to do this? How was she going to approach Aichi and ask him out? She knew they were friends and she knew they were teammates on Q4 but the thought of just asking him out made her…nervous? Scared? No, she didn't think I would be a hard thing to do, just a hard thing to figure out HOW to do. "_I can't just go up and ask him straight forward. It might scare him away. But if I don't figure out how to do it soon I'll never get a chance to do it, and if I don't do it soon all these thoughts in my head are going to kill me!_" the sub-manager leapt onto the counter top and meowed as Misaki petted the animal and went back to work hoping an idea would strike her soon. As the day went on and tournament progressed Aichi continued to climb the ranks to both Misaki's pleasure and mis-pleasure. She then just decided that, since he usually stayed for a bit after the tournament was done, she would just pull Aichi aside and ask him them once everyone was out of earshot.

"Stand up, my avatar! Ride, Blaster Blade!" The people around him oh'ed and ah'ed as Aichi road his favorite card. This was like an escape for the blue haired teen and the planet Cray was his vacation spot. He loved the sensation that Vanguard gave him. It was a sensation that he always wanted to have and one he would never rid himself off. As his next turn shortly followed he drew into another sensation he never wanted to rid himself of. The card that his "soon to be" girlfriend had given him. He was only mere hours away from what would be his first real date. While the fact that she was an idol didn't bother Aichi, the fact that she was a female did a bit. But he could afford to get nervous now. As Kai had once told him he had an inner strength that was incomparable to anyone who stepped before him and he would use this strength to conquer anything he faced. Including a date. "Let your comrades be your power. Enter the fray King of Knights, Alfred!"

"Mr. Invincible, Hellstand!" All of Kamui's units stood once more as his opponent just looked on helplessly. "Genocide Jack, end this!" Jack stuck the target as the 6th damage flipped.

"Great job Kamui-sama! GJ yo!" cheered Eji and Renji as their friend gave them a thumbs up.

"Then the final match of the tournament will be against Kaumi-kun and Aichi-kun." Shin announced while putting up the final battle. Kamui's eyes lit up.

"_Awesome! If I can defeat onii-chan, then Emi-san will see how powerful I am!_" as Kaumi's head filled with thoughts Aichi walked up to the table.

"Good luck Kamui-kun!" said Aichi and he prepared himself.

"You too onii-san! I'm not gonna hold back!" Aichi nodded as the two flipped their vanguards and began their battle. Misaki sat back and watched as the two battled. At first sight Aichi seemed nothing more than a timid kid. Almost scared or too nervous to really do anything, but that couldn't have been more wrong. When he began a card fight something about him changed. He seemed really happy and relaxed and truly confident in his abilities. He had this aura about him which almost seemed to bring him into a whole new light. This is what Misaki truly loved about him. How his personality just changed when he battled really made him an enjoyable person to be around. This is why she wanted to be around him, not because he was cute, not because of anything else. He had passion for what he truly loved, and Misaki wanted nothing more than to be his new passion, so she could receive the same love. The battle was fierce but in the end Kamui took the tournament after drive checking a grade 3 with Asura Kaiser causing Jack to stand and Soul Savior to take another attack. Aichi sighed but smiled as the elementary kids celebrated.

"Ah! Aichi, how could you lose to that little runt?!" Morikawa shouted as Aichi just sweat dropped.

"You're just jealous cause you got knocked out the first round." Miwa pointed out.

"My opening hand just stunk." He said back as Izaki just smiled.

"Yeah, that was the reason." Aichi laughed when suddenly something cause his eye. The store clock now read 3:30. He was supposed to mean Kourin near the mall in a half hour.

""Oh no, I need to hurry!" without another thought the teen grabbed his bag and hurried over to his little sister. "Emi, there is somewhere important I need to be, will you be ok walking home?" Emi nodded but she looked a bit confused.

"I'll be fine but where do you need to go Aichi?"

"I'll explain everything when I get home later. Congratulations again Kamui-kun!" he said as he headed for the door. Before he could leave however a voice hit his ears forcing him to stop.

"Aichi, before you go, can I have a quick word?" asked Misaki from the desk. However Aichi just bowed to her with a worried look on his face.

"I'm really sorry Misaki-san but this is very urgent and I need to leave. I'll be over tomorrow in the afternoon if you still wish to talk." He turned towards the door as it opened automatically as he headed out however he turned and smiled to her. "I promise." Misaki blushed slightly at the smiled. "See you later Misaki-san!" he waved as he ran out of sight. Afterwards Misaki just sighed as she stared at the spot her crush had just been.

"_Well…I suppose not everything can work out as you plan._" She said smiling slightly.

Kourin stood near Card Shop PSY waiting on her date for the afternoon. She was standing outside because inside were two very excited sisters. Well one very excited sister and one incredibly annoying sister. She checked her watch seeing it aid 3:55. Aichi had 5 minutes so she looked around to see people passing by them. For some reason however all that caught her eyes were couples. Couple holding hands, couples with arms around each other, couple kissing and laughing. _"Is this what people on a date do?"_ she asked herself. She had never been on a date before so most of this would probably be foreign to her as to probably Aichi as well.

"Kourin-san!" a voice called over to her as she saw Aichi rush over out of breath. "I'm… sorry if… I'm late…" he said panting.

"Aichi, did you run here?" she asked looking at the out of breath boy.

"I was… doing something earlier… and lost… track of time. I didn't want to keep you waiting." The haired teen said pulling himself back together. "I've never done this before but I think keeping a person waiting too long is rude." Kourin smiled at him. At least he knew something about a date.

"Well you are here now so that's what counts. Is there anything in particular you want to do?" she asked. Other than watching the couples the idol didn't know what exactly to do on her first date. She hoped Aichi would know.

"I uh…I've never actually been on a date. I was hoping you would know a bit better than I would." He smiled guiltily scratching the back of his head. Kourin giggled at this.

"So we're both clueless on this huh?" she thought for a second. "How about we just walk around the mall? I'm in the shop so much I hardly get to walk around here and actually look." Aichi smiled at this. It sounded simple for his first time. Just a walk around the mall would give him time to think about what he would want to do if Kourin asked him once more.

"That sounds great. A walk seems relaxing after all that running around." Suddenly something happened that Aichi wasn't expecting Kourin took his hand in hers and gently pulled on it.

"Alright then Aichi. Let's go see what this place has!" Aichi just blushed as Kourin pulled him along through the mall.

"Here is you paycheck Misaki." Shin handed his niece her pay as she took it. "So what are you going to do since you're off so early today?" Misaki just shrugged. She was hoping to be spending the day with Aichi but since that couldn't happen she had the rest of the afternoon and evening to herself.

"I'm not really sure. Maybe I'll just hit the mall and look around. I saw a jacket there I liked about a week ago. Maybe I'll look into it if they still have it." She said taking off her apron and putting on her coat. Shin just smiled as the sub-manager leapt after her.

"Alright then, have fun. I'll leave the key under the mat for when you get back." She nodded as the automatic doors open letting the girl out. Back at said mall Kourin was having a better time than she expected. She was usually the one that stood behind and watched the shop when Suiko and Recca went to shop or do errands. She never saw how shopping for clothes would be an enjoyable experience. "I never really liked this when I was younger." She said looking at a shirt. "When you run around as much as I do you never really stop and notice everything around you." Aichi never took into account how most of Kourin's everyday life was around being an idol. It had to be nice to escape all of that for a day and just enjoy yourself.

"I'm glad to see you're having fun Kourin-san."

"You don't need to be so formal Aichi. We're on a date, so just Kourin is fine." Aichi blushed once more at this. He didn't know what it was about the word date that made him blush but the fact that he was now on one could have also been the reason. After about 3 hours they walked out of a music store when Kourin spotted a fountain over near the stairs to the second floor. She noticed people tossing in coins and walking away. "Hm? Aichi, why are they doing that?" The duelist looked over to the fountain.

"Oh, it's a wishing fountain. People throw in a coin and make a wish. Then if you don't tell anyone about it it'll come true." Kourin looked perplexed at this.

"Does it actually work?"

"I don't know, but more people do it just for fun anyway. Did you want to try it?" Kourin looked over at Aichi. It seemed stupid, really stupid. To toss a coin into a fountain and wish.

"I don't really kn…" just then however Aichi took her hand and pulled her towards it.

"I have 2 pennies. We can each toss one in." not wanted to feel impolite she just sighed as they went over. Aichi gave her one as he took his and closed his eyes. Kourin watched him oddly as he then opened them and tossed his in. Kourin then looked at her penny and tossed her in as well. She then sat on a fountains edge and stared into the water.

"There are a lot of dreams in there." Aichi nodded. Do you think yours will come true?" she asked curious about what he wished for.

"If I don't tell it will." He said sitting down next to her. "How about you?" the blonde blushed.

"I um…I didn't need to wish." Aichi cocked his head a bit curious about what she meant. "My wish already came true…I was able to enjoy this day. I was able to enjoy it with you, Aichi-kun." If Aichi had blushed before it was nothing compared to now. He felt hotter than he ever had, more red than a fire truck.

"I'm um…I'm really happy that you'r…" He then felt a hand on his cheek. He looked up to see Kourin smiling at him. He was surprised he wasn't burning her hand. They sat there for what seemed like and year, eyes just fixed on each other. Then it happened. Kourin moved in closer and before Aichi knew it her lips connected with his.

At that same moment a bag hit the floor some 10 yards away from them. Tokura Misaki stood there staring at the two in disbelief. She didn't know what to think. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to turn away but she was fixed on it. She felt strength leave her body completely. Aichi, Sendou Aichi, the boy she had gone to regionals with, they boy she had watched grow right before her eyes, the boy she considered one of her closest friends…they boy she loved…was kissing Ultra Rare's Kourin. She had seen enough. He sight becoming blurry due to tears she forced herself around and began to run. She didn't care who saw, she didn't care about her jacket, she didn't care what the two did. All she cared about now was getting home, forgetting the sight she had just seen, forgetting the day…and most importantly, forgetting about Sendou Aichi.


	7. Chapter 7

"_Destroy everything, my avatar."_

_**Chapter 7**_

Aichi awoke Sunday morning feeling like he had never felt before. Yesterday could quite have possibly been the greatest day of his life thus far. Even winning the national tournament didn't give him the feel of joy he had within right now. He had received his first kiss, his first actual kiss no less than 24 hours ago. Kourin's lips had connected with his own and he could have sworn he had been flying. It was official; he Sendou Aichi was now dating Tatsanagi Kourin of Ultra Rare. He kicked out of bed and got changed to go downstairs and eat breakfast. Once at the table he sat and grabbed his glass and some juice as his sister looked over to him. "You look really happy today Aichi." Emi noted as Aichi realized he had been smiling the entire time.

"I just feel really happy Emi. I haven't felt like this in a long time." He said thanking for the food before eating. Emi smiled as she did the same. The young girl knew her brother's happiness was important. She had seen him at his worst before so this was always a comforting sight for her to see. After eating they both grabbed their decks and made their way to Card Capital. Emi drifted off to get her friend so Aichi made his way there on his own. "_Kourin-chan does also run Royal Paladins._" He thought to himself as he walked along. He blushed slightly at calling his new girlfriend "chan" but he supposed he would need to get used to it. "_Maybe I could see how she plays them and try out something new. I'm sure she would show me now._" Before he knew it the 14 year old was standing outside of Card Capital. He stepped on the electronic mat which slid the door open. He walked inside but as soon as he did he noticed something a bit odd. Usually he was greeted by Misaki once he walked in, but he had heard nothing from the counter. He glanced over to see said lilac haired girl standing there her face buried in a magazine. Aichi assumed that perhaps the girl had just not heard the door open. "Good morning Misaki-san!" he said bowing as he usually did however instead of a hello or some form of greeting he got an oddly cold stare from the girl before she turned back to her magazine without saying a word. This was very odd to Aichi since Misaki had been strangely eager to talk to him just yesterday but was now ignoring him. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could another voice called out to him.

"Onii-san!" he saw the spikey haired boy rush over to him as he turned to Kamui. "I want to try out a few adjustments I made in my deck, but I need you to help me out." Aichi looked over at the table to notice Morikawa there fussing over his deck and realized that by what he said Kamui needed someone other than the grade 3 lover to play against. Quickly he looked back over at Misaki noticing the girl still standing there ignoring him. He nodded at Kamui however just thinking that maybe said girl was just having a bad morning and didn't want to talk to anyone. This had happened before and Aichi was sure she would come around later on in the day and speak to them once more like everything was normal. Unfortunately for Aichi this wasn't the case. Throughout the rest of his time at the shop Misaki never shot him a glance or acknowledged he was there. She would usually stop what she was doing to watch a duel or walk over to talk to one of her Q4 teammates but not once did she move from that counter or her magazine. Aichi now knew something had to be wrong. Unless Misaki was having a really bad day there had to be something that was bugging her. After the duel he walked over to the counter towards the still upset looking lilac haired girl.

"Um…Misaki-san, from what I've seen you've been looking upset all day. Is something wrong?" There was a suddenly loud bang in the room as Misaki slammed down her magazine on the counter causing everyone to stare and the sub-manager to leap off and cower behind a table.

"Of all people here Sendou Aichi, you should know what is wrong." Aichi was slightly confused at this. How was he supposed to know what had happened? Apparently he had done something to upset the girl but it was unclear to him what exactly it was.

"Eh?! H-how am I supposed to know what I did wrong if I didn't do anything yet?" To him this was a legit answer and question. What had it been that he had done? He had no recollection of doing anything to hurt Misaki, and other than saying hello to her earlier he had not communicated with her at all today.

"Trust me Aichi, you did something alright." She said crossly reopening her magazine and going back to it. People where now starting to look over at the ongoing scene but neither of the Q4 members had noticed. Aichi was no getting slightly cross himself. Why wouldn't Misaki just tell him what he had done?

"Misaki-san, why are you not being straight with me? I seriously have no idea what I could have done to make you like this!" He half yelled getting more attention from the crowd around them, some even beginning to listen into their conversation.

"How about Kourin then? If I ask her, would she know Aichi?" At these words Aichi froze. Wait a second, she knew about him and Kourin? How did Misaki know about him and Kourin?! "I was at the mall yesterday Aichi, after the tournament when you said you were too busy to stay and talk for a second." The blue haired teen felt his heart sink a little. He had rushed out of the store to his date with Kourin and he had practically ignored his own teammate on the way out. At the mention of the idol more people looked over as now their conversation seemed to be attaching the attention of almost everyone in the store.

"M-Misaki-san I…"

"And what's more is Aichi you never told me any of this! I'm your friend Aichi you could have told me but instead you hid it from me and lied to me. Then you go and kiss her behind my back without any concern for my feelings or how any of your friends feel about this!" Now more talking could be heard as everyone around the store had now heard about the kiss him and his girlfriend had shared. Aichi was now steaming. Did Misaki really have to just blab out everything about him and Kourin? He knew she was upset and she had every right to be but this wasn't right. She was just spilling private information about his love life.

"You don't know anything about her! She's just as much my friend as you are. Kourin-chan has done a lot for me and I never realized it until just recently. This is my way of thanking her and showing her how much I appreciate her!" Aichi practically shouted as now the entire store went silent. Kamui and Miwa had stopped their duel, Emi was looking over with mass concern on her face and even Kai now had full attention on the conversation.

"Please. The only reason you appreciate her is for her looks and her title as a star. You don't love her for who she is Aichi; you love her for what she is." Aichi had heard enough. She had yelled at him and that was fine. She was angry at him for lying and that was fine. But she had insulted Koruin, the girl he loved. It was the last straw for him.

"Just because you don't have anyone doesn't mean you have to ruin what I have!" The once silent store was now greeted with an unpleasant sound. A loud smack was heard as Misaki's hand quickly and painfully met the side of Aichi's face. Everything went silent in that moment. Aichi couldn't grasp what had just happened. Everything after that was a blur. He was staring directly at Misaki yet also through her. He saw tears stream down the purple haired girls face before she took off her apron and stormed upstairs as everyone still in the shop heard the door slam behind her. Time seemed to freeze for Aichi. He was trying to comprehend what had happened. This was the second first for Misaki but he was sure almost completely positive that Misaki had never, EVER, slapped anyone before. He had been the first person Misaki had ever gotten angry enough to slap. Aichi was not happy at this fact.

"Onii-san!" Kamui ran over to his "older brother" to check on him. Aichi's face was still red and Kamui being friends of both of them wanted to get to the bottom of this and try to patch everything up. "Are you ok? What happened?!" The blue haired teen didn't know how to answer. His mind was completely blank and his heart seemed to have stopped beating all together. He didn't even know what was going on. Not too long ago Misaki had held his hand and hugged him and now he was just slapped across the face. Just then Emi walked up to her older brother looking very stern and upset.

"Aichi, what did you do to Misaki-san?!" Aichi heard the words but couldn't answer. Nor did he want to, because he knew the answer. He had screwed up and he did so big time.

"E-Emi-san! It wasn't Aichi onii-chan's fault! Misaki-san over reacted before he could even tell his side of the story!" Deep down, very deep down, Aichi was happy to see Kamui doing his best to defend his friend but he knew it wasn't going to help fix what he had broken between himself and Misaki. Emi's glare quickly shot from Aichi to Kamui now.

"Kamui-kun, how can you say that?! Misaki-san would never do such a thing unless she had a logical reason for it! I may not know what exactly happened but Aichi did something wrong and really hurt Misaki-san. I thought she was your friend Kamui!" The young boy looked taken-a-back. He hadn't expected his goddess to be so cross with him or her own brother. The one time Emi had addressed him like such and she was upset with him. Of course, he thought in the very back of his mind.

"I…I don't just want everyone to be mad like this. They're both my friends but she hit onii-san without hearing his reason first. It just seems unfair to him!"

"And maybe it's unfair to Misaki-san that she's up in her room crying right now! How can you be such a heartless monster Kaumi-kun?!" With that Emi ran up the stairs to try to talk to Misaki. Kamui looked like his heart had just been ripped from his chest. His goddess had called him a heartless monster. Kamui simply looked back at Aichi who still seemed to be blank faced before he just grabbed his things and walked out of the store.

"Kamui-sama wait!" "KSW yo!" Renji and Eji both called before speeding out after him. Aichi didn't know if everyone was still watching him but he didn't care. He wanted time to reverse, he wanted to take back everything he had just said to the girl but he knew he couldn't. He knew there was no way he could unsay what he just had. Suddenly Shin walked back outside from his office before looking around at everyone staring at Aichi.

"Hm? Was there something I missed?" He said cocking his head to the side looking confused. The sub-managed just meowed on the desk before hoping down and following the same path upstairs Emi had just taken. Then a noise could be heard from the silent store. A chair scrapped across the floor as Kai rose from it bag in hand and walked towards the door. He walked past Aichi before speaking just as he reached the door.

"Aichi." The blue haired boy looked up just enough to catch Kai's glance. "As a vanguard fighter I have a lot of respect for you, as a person however, you still have a long way to go." Aichi's eyes widened as he quickly snapped back into being.

"K-Kai-kun!" Without another word however Kai simply walked out without another look back. Aichi then felt the glance of everyone in the store now upon him. He knew just going back to playing as usual would be impossible at this point without a barrage of questions he didn't want to answer. Aichi simply grabbed his things and left the store without another thought, not caring as of right now what anyone else would think or say. As long as he wasn't around to hear it it wouldn't matter. As the electronic doors shut realaztion hit Shin as he saw no sign of Misaki.

"Eh?! Has anyone been running the store?!"

_

Sorry this chapter was a bit shorter than the others but after making you guys wait due to my job searching and school work for my masters, it's been a bit hard to post. The next chapter will be the final one. (This wasn't meant to be a very long story.) So I'll try to have it up as quickly as I can. Thanks for sticking with my guys. It means more than you think. ^_^


	8. Chapter 8

"_I'll take you all on at once. Vermillion Thunderbolt!"_

_**Chapter 8**_

Maybe she had over reacted in face of what she had done. No, he had it coming and he deserved it. After what Aichi had said Misaki knew that a slap was the only way to answer. She had no one who loved her, who the hell did he think he was? She had plenty of people who loved her in her life. She had Shin and…Shin and… A tear slid down her face once again. Aichi was right. Her parents were no longer on this earth, the boy she loved was dating another girl and after the display she had put on downstairs in the shop everyone else probably though she was just a cold hearted witch. She crashed on her bed and put her face down in a pillow. She just wanted to cry, even though she knew it wouldn't help she wanted to do nothing more than cry and she wanted to do a lot of it. Suddenly she was interrupted by a knock at her door.

"Misaki-san? Are you ok? Can I come in please?" She recognized the voice as Emi. Deep down she just wanted to be alone and she really didn't want to see Aichi's little sister of all people, but she knew Emi looked up to the older girl and she also know she cared enough to try to help. Misaki sat back up as wiped away as many tears as she could before preparing to discuss everything with Emi.

"It's… *sniffle* It's open Emi." The next second the small orange haired girl opened the door before shutting into behind her. She saw Misaki sitting on her bed eyes puffy and red from obviously crying. Emi felt a ping of guilt from this. She never thought Aichi would do something so cruel but she didn't want to lose a friend like Misaki so she had to try everything she could to make things better.

"Misaki…" she said looking at the clearly upset lilac haired girl. "Are you going to be ok?" That was all she could think to say. She didn't want to risk mentioning Aichi so soon and risk having Misaki go into another break down. She was young and didn't fully understand what was going on at the time but she wanted to make sure Misaki was going to be ok.

"I don't know Emi…I honestly don't know." Those words where about all Misaki could process at the moment due to her state. Now she didn't care if anyone was with her or not. Now Misaki didn't care if anyone saw her in said state. She felt her head crash into her pillow to the side as tears began to flow again causing the lilac haired girl to cry silently into her pillow. Emi's face grew pained to see the girl like this and reached over to hug her. Hoping beyond all hope that things couldn't get any worse between all of them.

Kamui was sitting on a bench in the park alone. He didn't really want to talk or be with anyone at the moment. The broken hearted elementary school boy was depressed out of his mind due to the stinging words of his goddess. "I'm not a heartless monster am I?" the boy said aloud as a solitary rain cloud poured on his head. "Here I am trying to defend Aichi onii-san and now everyone is upset. Emi-san included." The young boy slammed his head on the bench as he lay there face down for a few minutes running over everything in his head. "So what can I do? Misaki-san won't talk to Aichi onii-san, Aichi onii-san won't talk to anyone and Emi-san won't talk to me! What do I do to make this all better?!" Just then Kamui turned his head to the side and noticed flowers in a bush to his side. In the next instant Kamui sat up right. "Flowers! I can take them to Emi-san and apologize for being such a heartless monster!" With that Kamui hopped off the bench and ran to go find some flowers that he would be able to pick for his said crush.

The walk home for Aichi felt longer than any trip he has ever taken. He felt like a zombie just wandering around without a purpose which did feel suitable. It felt like all the live and joy had just been drained out of him. Aichi was unsure if he ever wanted to step foot inside Card Capital again after what had just happened and who could blame him. After Misaki had slapped him it was like she didn't just hurt his cheek but also his heart as well and the blue haired teen was unsure why it felt this way if he didn't love her like he did Kourin. Once he reached his house Aichi kicked off his shoes and walked upstairs passing the kitchen where his mother was preparing dinner. "You're home early Aichi. Is there something going on at the card shop today?" Aichi just walked past her too depressed to say anything. "Hm? Aichi is everything ok?" There was still no answer as upstairs she heard a door slowly shut. Once inside the room Aichi just crashed face down on his bed and tossing his paladins on his desk.

As the boy laid there his mind began to spin. He thought of the first time he walked into Card Capital and saw the lilac haired girl. The grade 3 he had gotten at the shop allowing her to first see her smile. How she helped him back to his seat at regionals after his match with Kyou. The hug he had gotten from her at the movies. The holding on his hand by her…Aichi felt a tear roll down his cheek. He then pushed his face against his mattress hoping it would absorb the many more tears that suddenly began to follow.

Meanwhile downstairs a door opened shortly after as Emi walked into the house and set her bag down by the door. A few seconds later the girl's mother walked into the hallway. "Emi, do you know what's wrong with Aichi? He suddenly came home and just went right upstairs without saying anything." Upon hearing the name of her brother the small child turned her head to the side with a small huff.

"I don't wish to talk about Aichi right now." she said while taking her shoes off. "He was mean to Misaki-chan!" Mrs. Sendou cocked her head to the side.

"Oh? What exactly happened?"

"They got into an argument at the card shop and something happened and then Misaki-san ran off crying and Aichi got really sad and Kamui-kun was a poohead too and everything got really weird!" she stated with a huff on her face causing her mother to half giggle at the adorable scene of her young daughter trying to explain everything.

"Emi, can you begin dinner?" She suddenly begins to walk up the stairs towards her son's room. "I'm going to have a talk with your brother." Up in said boys room Aichi was still face down on his bed thinking about what an idiot he had been when there was suddenly a knock on the boy's door. "Aichi? Are you ok? Is it alright if I come in?" Upon hearing his mother's voice Aichi bolted upward as he wiped his tears away not wanting his mother to see him like this.

"Y-you can come in mom. Everything is fine." Aichi lied as his mother opened the door. The woman walked in to find Aichi sitting on his bed eyes a bit puffy and red. She had instantly realized that her son had been crying.

"Aichi, what is wrong? You've been upset ever since you came home? Are you being picked on again?" the teen knew his mother would ask that due to the fact that when he was younger he would come home with tears in his eyes due to that fact.

"N-no, that's not it!" he assured his mother seeing the worry in her eyes. "Something just happened between me and Misaki-san. Just a disagreement is all."

"So, your sister was right about all of this." Aichi flinched. He was hoping to avoid the subject altogether due to the fact that he didn't want to talk about the slap he had received a few hours ago. "So how about you tell me what happened. Maybe getting it out will make you feel better." Aichi just sighed. He knew there wasn't going to be a way around his mother's intuition.

"I really hurt Misaki-san. She liked me a lot, I think she even wanted to date me but I was so hung up on Kourin that I didn't realize it and I never actually stopped to listen. Then today at the shop…" a tear slid down the boy's face. "I said something really hurtful and now I don't think she wants anything to do with me…I think I lost Misaki as a friend." With this Aichi's heart couldn't bear it. He felt more tears run down his face. He knew he probably looked immature for crying but it did make him feel slightly better. After a minute however his mother placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hmhmhm. Aichi, it sounds like you've been thinking with this." She taps his head with a finger to implicate his brain. "And not enough with this." She pokes where his heart is before wrapping him in a hug. "People make mistakes in their lives. The best thing is to realize what they are and fix them." Aichi just wished he would have known that sooner. He simply wished he would have seen the outcome of all this before it had happened.

Little did he know however…he already had.

There was a bright flash of light before Aichi was standing back in the AL4 building. Aichi held Gancelot above his head before playing it. Another flash and he saw once again the image of Kai falling to his knight and then a 3rd flash of light before…Aichi saw himself in Misaki's room. Their arms wrapped around each other…his lips, connected with hers.

Before Aichi knew it the vision was over and he was back in his room still in his mother's embrace. "You were showing me Misaki…"

"Hm?" His mother looked down at Aichi who she thought was addressing her.

"Misaki…I…I love Misaki…mom! It's Misaki, she's the one I love!" His mother just smiled at the boy before Aichi's eyes shot to the clock noticing it was 5:30. The shop closed at 6. If he wanted to tell Misaki how he felt it would have to be now…right now! "Mom, I need to tell Misaki I'm sorry! I need to make this all right again!" Dinner was almost ready but with a look into her sons determined eyes she knew he was going to go regardless.

"Misaki is a nice girl. You don't want to lose her." Aichi hugged his mother tight.

"Thanks mom. I'm going to make this right!" he leapt from the bed and bolted downstairs to put his shoes on. He grabbed the handle of the door and swung it open when…

"Ah! Onii-san!"

"Eh?! K-Kamui-kun?!" There stood Aichi's little brother of sorts dressed as nice as he could and it seemed that he was holding something behind his back.

"I know it's almost dinner time, but I NEED to speak to Emi-san. It's really important!" he said bowing his head as low as he could to the point where it almost touched his knees.

"Aichi!" the two boys looked over to see a cross Emi walking towards them. "Don't tell me you're going to skip dinner again?! You need to eat otherwi…hm? Kamui-kun?" Upon seeing his goddess Kamui seemed to move on his own as he walked past Aichi and up to Emi before bowing again and bringing up flowers, very roughly picked ones which included a few dandy lions, from behind his back and handing them to her.

"Emi-san! Please except these as a token of my allergy!" Aichi and Emi both sweat dropped. They both assumed he meant apology. Aichi looked at his watch as saw it was 5:40.

"I'm really sorry both of you but I need to go apologize to Misaki. I'll be back later Emi!" With that Aichi was out the door. Just then realization hit Kamui.

"Ah! Apology! That's what I meant!" He said slapping his forehead causing Emi to giggle a bit. Afterwards she then looked a bit down.

"I'm the one who should apologize Kamui-kun. I shouldn't have said those mean things to you." Kamui blushed madly as his heart sank a bit seeing said girl upset.

"I-it's not your fault Emi-san! I was the one who dressed up!" Emi giggled.

"Messed up?"

"Huh…? Y-yeah! That's what I meant!" Just then Emi walked over and kissed Kamui on the cheek as the boy stood there shocked and blushed even redder than they both thought possible.

"It was nice of you to come say you're sorry Kamui-kun and allergy accepted!" she said laughing some more and Kamui suddenly began to laugh too still blushing. The next second Mrs. Sendou came down the stairs.

"Looks like we have some company. Will you be staying for dinner Kamui?"

T-thank you for the offer but I don't want to be a bu…" The next second the boy's stomach growled causing him to look down at the ground.

"It's ok, I made food for 3 so we have plenty to eat." Kamui nodded and expressed his thanks as they all went to the table Emi reaching for and holding the young boys hand all the way there.

After quite a bit of running Aichi was able to make it to Card Capital 5 minutes before they closed. He saw no one in the store except Shin who was sweeping up as he usually did at closing time. Aichi took a deep breath before stepping onto the mat and walking inside. He knew what he had to do. "I'm sorry but we're closing up now and…hm? Oh, good evening Aichi. Something I can help you with?" Shin said as he turned around to see who came in so close to closing.

"I'm really sorry to just barge in so close to closing manager but I need to speak with Misaki. I need to make things right, this is really important." He said bowing to said girls uncle absolute guilt in his eyes. He knew for a fact that Shin knew everything about what happened earlier so he was expecting some sort of nasty comment or remark. Instead he got a smile.

"She's upstairs in her room Aichi-kun. It's nice of you to come back and try to work things out." Aichi, too nervous to speak, just nodded and headed for the stairs when suddenly Shin spoke once more. "There is a saying that time heals all wounds. However sometimes just saying you're sorry works as well." He said with a wink and smile. Aichi smiled back and nodded once more before heading upstairs.

Misaki was sitting on her bed, teddy bear in arms hugging it close as she looked at the picture of Q4. All of them were smiling, with the exception of Kai, and he eyes were locked on Aichi's. For some reason she couldn't pull them away from him. She knew Aichi was with Kourin now and as much as it stung her to say it…maybe she should just support him with it. Aichi was her friend, even though she was mad at him, but as a friend she knew you needed to support them and stick with them when they make choices like this. It showed marks of a good friend and said girl was not about to let Aichi think of her as a bad friend. Just then there was a knock on the door.

"I said I don't feel like discussing things Shin." She told the door upon instinct. However it wasn't Shin's voice that greeted the girl.

"M-Misaki-san! Please let me come in. I have to try to make things right." Misaki's eyes widened. Aichi was on the other side of her door and it sounded like he wanted to talk. The purple haired girl's emotions spun around in her head. Did she really want to talk to Aichi at this moment? Yeah, she was still mad at him, yeah he had said some highly rude and out of place things…however…as a good friend, she had to give him a chance. One last chance. She got up and walked over to open to the door. She did so and noticed Aichi standing there slightly out of breath from running but with a determined look on his face. Aichi on the other hand felt his heart sink when he noticed Misaki. Her eyes were red and puffy from obviously crying and Aichi noticed her bear on the bed which he assumed she had been hugging. Without a word Misaki went back to her bed and sat down, leaving Aichi at the door feeling heart broken. "M-Misaki-san…"

"Aichi, I still see you as a friend. But what kills me is you couldn't tell me the truth." She said looking back at the Team Q4 picture which was some reason all she could look at right now. Aichi walked into the room a bit more.

"I know I did and I'm sorry. I should have told you about Kourin-chan and…" he saw Misaki give a slight twitch to "chan" and Aichi knew she didn't like hearing it. "Ah! I mean Kourin and it was wrong to try to hide it from you! I feel like an idiot for doing it!" he said as he bowed as low as he could. Misaki looked over at him with what felt like more tears but she held them back.

"I want to forgive you Aichi but with how you hurt me it's just getting harder and harder to do so. I'm afraid if I do…I'll just get hurt again." Aichi looked into the girls eyes. This was hurting him worse by the second.

"…I was scared most of the time too. Everyday going to school as a child, I'd get beat up and I would want to just stay home and hide under my bed." Misaki looked back at her teammate and see pain in his eyes in trying to bring back past events. "I thought I was going to be scared for the rest of my life…and then I met you." Misaki's eyes widened slightly. "At first you kind of scared me but once I knew you I began to feel more and more brave. During the shop tournaments, regionals and nationals and every other time you watched me duel I felt strong knowing you were with me. Even at the movies, I just wanted to run out at points but I felt better knowing you were right next to me." Aichi was scratching the back of his head embarrassed at this point but he knew he had to go on. "Misaki…I like Kourin yes, and she is an amazing person…but now after being shown the correct path, I know that was the wrong one." The boy's hands were shaking as he looked down at the floor his face red and his sweating slightly. "Now I know who I want, no! Now I know who I NEED in my life. Misaki…I…" Aichi gulped one last time before letting it all out. "Misaki-san you're the one I love!" He had said it. There was no taking it back now and he knew it. Aichi had said the "L" word and now all of the cards were on the table. How would Misaki respond? What if she didn't want to forgive him? What if Aichi lost her as a friend? What if…

Then in a sudden instant…all thoughts in Aichi's head were brought to a halt.

Aichi's body began to get warm to the point where he thought he was on fire. Misaki had her arms wrapped around him and what was more shocking was that her lips had now connected with Aichi's. The blue hair boy stood there in complete shock. Arms stiff at his sides and his eyes opened staring into Misaki's closed ones. He had not expected this nor prepared for this. What was he supposed to do now? As if his body spook for him, he suddenly brought up his hands around Misaki's figure and closed his eyes. At that moments there were no thoughts, no worries, no anger or hurt.

There was only Tokura Misaki.

The next day Aichi called Kourin to request just a friendly relationship and to Aichi's surprise it went over quite well. "I can understand actually." Said Kourin during the call. "With how often I'm out and about this thing will quickly turn into a long distance relationship and those things become really hard to maintain. That and I'm sure you don't want to be a target of hate for my fan club." Aichi sweat dropped at the idea of 1,000 Morikawa's chasing him down.

A week later, after classes Aichi walked outside to find Misaki there waiting for him. Ever since they started going out they had walked home together after school. However on this day their target was Card Capital. Both walked to the shop and once they got to the store and stepped on the electronic mats to open the doors they were all greeted by many embarrassing comments. "Well well, look at this cute couple." Joked Miwa as they both walked in. Kai just smirked from the corner seeing the two together.

"HAHAHAHA! I knew it was only a matter of time before Aichi picked up a girl like that! It must have been from copying my man-ish charm!" proclaimed Morikawa as everyone sweat dropped.

"If that's the case I'm surprised she hasn't run away yet." Joked Izaki low enough so Morikawa couldn't hear.

"Aww, the two of you look so cute together!" said Emi making the two teens blush bright red. Just then Shin pulled out a camera from nowhere and aimed it at the two.

"Let's take a picture of the nice new couple." Misaki glared at the man.

"Take a picture and I promise you bad things will happen to that camera Shin." Her uncle sat in the corner with a rain cloud hung over him.

"I told you to please call me manager while I'm here."

"We can do pictures and congrads later." Said Kamui walked out from behind Emi. "Come on onii-san! You and me have a score to settle!" Aichi nodded before he looked over and kissed Misaki on the cheek causing her to blush slightly.

"Wish me luck Misaki-chan!" he said pulling out his Royal Paladins and heading over to Kamui's location at the dueling table. Misaki smiled as she went behind the counter and dawned her apron. She saw Aichi get that fire in his eyes that only he had as he placed his starting vanguard on the center circle of his field.

_"Kick his butt Aichi." _She giggled to herself as the two teammate grabbed their cards with a smirk.

_**STAND UP! VANGUARD!**_

Hate to say it guys but that's it. I only planned to make this a kind of short story. XD But I will say this, thank all of you for being patient with me through this and I love all of you for loving the story. I love you all so much that I'll do this…

If I can get 60 positive reviews for this story, I'll write an epilogue to the story staring Miwa and Kai. So R&R guys and again *bows* thank all of you so much! ^_^


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